More Than a Meal, Tri-Valley Community Outreach Thanksgiving Dinner, St. Raymond Church

More Than a Meal, Tri-Valley Community Outreach Thanksgiving Dinner
 
“It’s more of a ministry than a meal,” is how Matt Troiano, co-founder of the Tri-Valley Community Outreach Thanksgiving Dinner, described this annual tradition, which has happened since 2012, notwithstanding a two-year pandemic closure.
 
This year, Troiano’s home parish, St. Raymond Parish in Dublin, is the host. 
 
In 2012, Troiano and Deacon John Archer noticed a need among the senior citizens on fixed incomes who attended fish fries hosted by the Knights of Columbus. They wondered where their fish fry guests went for Thanksgiving. They did their research, saw the need and made a proposal to then-pastor Father Lawrence D’Anjou.
 
Tim Sbranti, serving as Dublin mayor, assisted with outreach to the community, and the dinner has been a joint effort of local churches, businesses and other community organizations from the beginning. Troiano estimates they have served 3,000 people in the 10 years of dinners.
 
“It’s amazing that on the busiest holiday weekend of the year, we get 200 to
 300 people to volunteer their time and talents. If you give people an opportunity to volunteer, they’re going to do it,” Troiano said.
 
It’s three full days of opportunities. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, volunteers decorate Moran Hall and do food preparation. Others take turkeys to roast in their home ovens and return on Thursday. Cooking and serving take place on Thursday, and cleanup is
 on Friday.
 
Troiano estimates that last year’s meals included 25 turkeys, 100-150 pounds of potatoes, 100-120 pounds of roasted vegetables and 20-30 boxes of stuffing. Women from St. Raymond provided almost three dozen pies, and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints baked pumpkin bread and banana bread.
 
Troiano is the head chef on Thanksgiving Day, arriving at 6 a.m. so food will be ready for the first arrivals at noon. He and his kitchen crew, mostly fellow Knights of Columbus and their wives, make sure all the food is well cooked.
 
“Caring for the people is what makes this Thanksgiving special,” Troiano said. When guests arrive, they are greeted at the door and guided to a finely set table. Volunteers serve beverages and bring guests a menu from which they are able to select their meal. All food is nut free, and the menu includes foods that accommodate other allergies.
 
Every year, there are little miracles, as Troiano calls them. He describes them as something that happens to a volunteer or a dinner guest that stands out. 
 
For instance, there was Dorothy, a blind woman from Oakland. A few years ago, she heard an advertisement for the dinner on the radio. She got a ride to BART from East Bay Paratransit, and dinner volunteers picked her up at the Dublin BART station. After that dinner, the volunteers “adopted” Dorothy, checking in on her and making sure she had food, especially during the COVID lockdown.
 
“That’s the purpose of the founding of the dinner: To help people,” Troiano said. “We take care of our community. That’s what we’re supposed to do as Catholics.”
 
The group prints fliers and distributes them in churches, senior centers and senior living facilities. “We try to choose locations where people are likely to have a need,” Troiano said.
 
In addition to the senior citizens who originally inspired the dinner, other guests include active military members, veterans and singles in need. Attendance has grown in recent years, especially of families. 
 
“If you are alone on Thanksgiving, you have the opportunity to sit with people and be served a meal,” he said. “This dinner has been a blessing to a lot of people who would otherwise be eating soup or alone, or don’t have the means for a decent supper.”
 
Learn More

• Tri-Valley Community Outreach Thanksgiving Dinner
• Nov. 28, noon to 4 p.m. 
• Moran Hall, St. Raymond Parish
• 11555 Shannon Ave., Dublin

For information on how to volunteer or donate, visit: tvc-thanksgiving.com/.